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Muscle for Life with Mike Matthews
Elisa Marroquin on Gut Health and Body Composition
Aug 9, 2023
01:08:57
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Quick takeaways
- Gut health plays a crucial role in body composition, influencing weight gain, fat loss, and muscle growth.
- The gut microbiome affects energy metabolism, caloric intake, glucose response, and exercise response, impacting body composition and metabolic health.
- Maintaining a diverse diet and striking a balance between cleanliness and exposure to bacteria is essential for promoting a healthy gut microbiome.
Deep dives
The Influence of Gut Health on Body Composition
Poor gut health can lead to weight gain, increased body fat retention, and hinder muscle growth, while better gut health can promote faster and easier fat loss, fat loss maintenance, and body composition maintenance.
Understanding the Gut Microbiome
The gut microbiome is a complex ecosystem composed of various microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, archaea, parasites, and fungi. Bacteria, in particular, play a crucial role in our gut health, aiding in immune system activation, vitamin production, production of short-chain fatty acids, and the digestion of complex polysaccharides. The gut microbiome is vital for our overall health and well-being.
The Impact of Gut Microbiome on Energy Metabolism
Research has shown that the gut microbiome influences energy metabolism and our body's response to diet and exercise. The composition of the gut microbiome can affect how our bodies process and extract energy from food, potentially leading to differences in caloric intake and energy expenditure. Additionally, the gut microbiome has been found to impact glucose response, insulin sensitivity, appetite regulation, and exercise response, highlighting its influence on body composition and overall metabolic health.
Importance of a High Variety Diet for a Healthy Gut Microbiome
Having a high variety in your diet is essential for maintaining a healthy gut microbiome. This means including a diverse range of foods, not just fruits and vegetables, but also different types of protein, dairy, legumes, seeds, and whole grains. The different molecules found in various foods provide nourishment to different species of bacteria in the gut. By having a high variety in your diet, you can ensure that your gut microbiome remains balanced and healthy, promoting overall well-being.
The Impact of Hygiene on the Gut Microbiome
Maintaining a proper balance of hygiene is important for a healthy gut microbiome. Being overly hygienic can negatively affect the composition and diversity of bacteria in different parts of the body, including the gut. Parents should allow their children to play in the dirt and interact with pets as this exposure helps with the correct activation of the immune system and colonization of the gut microbiome. Excessive use of antibacterial products and over-cleaning can have detrimental effects on the gut microbiome. Striking a balance between cleanliness and exposure to various bacteria is crucial for maintaining a healthy gut microbiome.
Gut health is a hot topic these days, and for good reason.
Your gut isn’t just about digestion. It’s a key player in your overall health, and scientists are discovering fascinating links between the gut microbiome and mental health and even your body composition.
And that latter connection is the primary subject of this podcast episode. In this interview, Elisa Marroquin helps demystify the complex world of gut health and its role in influencing our body composition.
Dr. Marroquin is an Assistant Professor and the Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at TCU, and the gut microbiome’s effects on obesity and body composition is one of her main areas of research.
The connection between gut health and physique is not well understood by many, but with Elisa's expertise, you will gain insights into how you can leverage your gut bacteria for your health and fitness goals.
Elisa and I chat about . . .
- Understanding the pivotal role of the gut microbiome in overall health and its intricate link to body composition (including how the gut influences responses to exercise).
- Energy balance and glycemic responses in relation to gut health.
- Navigating the marketing around microbiomes and probiotics, and practical tips for building a robust microbiome.
- The impact of hygiene and dietary habits, including artificial sweeteners and dietary diversity, on the gut microbiome.
- Strategies for rehabilitating an unhealthy gut microbiome and the potential for recovery at any age.
- And more . . .
Ready to learn how you can take control of your gut health to optimize your body composition? Then press play and listen to this interview!
Timestamps:
(0:00) - Please leave a review of the show wherever you listen to podcasts and make sure to subscribe!
(1:41) - What is gut health, and how does the microbiome contribute to it?
(2:53) - How does the microbiome influence different aspects of our health and physiology?
(4:43) - How does the microbiome affect body composition?
(10:52) - Can you explain the concept of "responders" and "non-responders" when it comes to certain exercises? How does the microbiome play into this?
(13:54) - How does this new discovery align with the concept of energy balance?
(15:00) - Can you go into more detail about what it means that some people extract more energy from food?
(17:49) - How can glycemic responses indirectly affect our bodies?
(20:22) - What are your thoughts on the marketing industry surrounding microbiomes and probiotics?
(21:39) - New protein cookie: buylegion.com/cookie
(24:02) - What are your thoughts on the marketing industry involving microbiomes and probiotics?
(25:41) - Do you have any tips for building a healthy microbiome?
(27:57) - What does eating a diverse range of foods mean for a healthy gut microbiome?
(34:00) - Can you explain the importance of balanced hygiene and its role in preventing sickness?
(36:04) - What are some of the negative consequences of excessive hygiene?
(38:25) - How do artificial sweeteners affect the gut microbiome?
(44:48) - Are there any foods that someone should eat almost every day to support their microbiome?
(46:34) - What are your thoughts on probiotics?
(57:25) - If someone has an unhealthy gut microbiome, what's the best way to recover?
(01:01:30) - For people who didn't get a good start with their microbiome at an early age, is recovery still possible later in life? Is there a point when it's too late?
(01:07:04) - Where can people find you and your work?
Mentioned on the Show: Try my new protein cookie! Go to https://buylegion.com/cookie and use coupon code MUSCLE to save 20% or get double reward points!
Elisa's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elisa_marroquin_phd/
Elisa's Twitter: https://twitter.com/elisa_mm_phd
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